Spirited Away
by weelass
Summary: She was taken. She was one of the many children who have been spirited away by faeries. AU Tentencentric Main Pairing Tenten/Neji. Ratedfor language, violence, and adult themes.
1. Chapter 1

_**A/N: This is my first fan fiction ever. I know it doesn't seem too original, I am hopefully put some new twists in it to make it good. Also, I'm just learning how to figure out everything on fan fiction so sorry if I do something to mess up *rubs head bashfully*. **_

**Prologue**

**She was taken. She was one of the many children who have been spirited away by faeries. Like all of the children who are chosen by the fey she was beautiful, unique and overall innocent. She her skin was soft and white, clear from any scars or markings. Her eyes were a brilliant green, they glistened honest curiosity. But what made her special, what made stand apart from everyone else was her lustrous pink hair. Her name was Sakura and she was the closet thing to a sibling Tenten had ever had. And she was taken.**

**Tenten knew that the only person who could and would save her cousin was herself. How she was going to do it, she didn't know. There were many dangers she faced as soon as she crossed through the gate leading to the land of magic. And even more when she got to the faerie kingdom. She knew there was no way she would ever be able to prepare herself for the world of magic. She also knew, however, that the more time she wasted the less likely Sakura would ever be able to come home. So what's a girl to do? Take action of course, one step at a time. **

_**Sorry for the short chapter, I just want to know people's opinions. Please Read and review. I would like to know if this story sounds interesting at all.**_


	2. Chapter 2 Tenten and Sakura redone

_**A/N: So I just finished this chapter and it's pretty long, which I suspect will be the way all of my chapters will be, seeing as I'm a very wordy person. Sorry that I haven't jumped right into the story, I have this thing about developing setting and characters (I have read one too many fantasy novels). This rule also applies to the way I develop romantic relationships. I do this because I like for them to seem plausible and not forced. Even with my slow beginnings and development, I promise once I get into the story it will be far more interesting. Thank you to my first 2 reviewers Weaponsmistressbunny **__and __**Mercichan, **__your reviews and words of encouragement prompted me to finish this chapter quickly, I hope you will continue to enjoy the story. Also sorry if you read this chapter last night (11/28/09) I copy and pasted the unedited version._

Chapter 1: Tenten and Sakura

Tenten Yuu was 16 years old and was the only child her mother gave birth to before she died. She lived with her father in a rural town near the border between the realm of humans and magic. Ryuuske Yuu had only lived in a family of boys, therefore, Tenten too was raised as a boy. He had her work like a boy; having her work out in fields and having her hunt. She would help her father around his weapons shop and even learned how to use some of his products. One of her favorite weapons was a simple kunai because she had an amazing talent for throwing them. She would even compete against boys and beat them all. But she didn't do it just to beat the boys. She loved the feeling of smooth metal under her finger tips. She loved the feel of releasing the weapon from her hand and in turn releasing all the tightness in her muscles. And finally, she loved the satisfying sound of the knife penetrating its target. Although it was an odd hobby for a girl to have, it relaxed her and made her feel like she could done anything.

She used to always play with the boys, whether it be playing sports, going on adventures, or just simply raising hell. She dressed like them, talked like them, and even ate like them. She was covered in scars, had had multiple bones broken and used to sport a black eye every so often. The injury she was most proud of was the *(1) 4 ½ scar that went down the side of her right leg from when she fell out of a tree. She was always tall and lanky for a girl and usually very tan from being out in the sun all day. She had brown hair that she used to either crop short or always put up. Finally, her eyes were dark brown, and always sparkled with mischief and cunning. Throw on some of her father's hand-me-downs and it's no wonder everyone used to mistake her for a boy.

However, this all began to change for her in the past year. She began to realize the increasing difference between her and her friends. Her friends, began to treat her differently, more carefully like she was fragile, which compared to their almost adult male bodies wasn't that far off the truth. Tenten began to find that when she wrestled she got beaten more often than not. Also, she now was no longer the fastest of her crew when they raced. Finally, she knew that her childhood had come to an end when not only did the boys talk about girls, some even targeted her. One of her long time friends stole her first kiss a few months before. Although she gave him a good punch in the arm and they had laughed it off as if it were nothing, it was still a line that was crossed and could never be undone, just like leaving behind childhood.

She, much to her discomfort was becoming a woman. Her body was beginning to loose its awkward, lanky build. She was filling out in her legs, hips, butt, and (to her greatest annoyance) breast. Although by normal standards they were average, they always managed to get in Tenten's way. For example when she went hunting they got in the way of her drawing the bow and if they weren't bound tight then she couldn't run without feeling self conscious.

The one thing about her new more feminine appearance that she liked was her now long, thick wavy hair. On a whim she had decided to let her hair grow out the summer before and before she knew it, it was down to the middle of her back. She found that if she actually spent a little bit of time grooming it, it would become glossy and smooth. Even with this being said, she still usually put it up into two buns, massed on top of her head.

However, today she was going to wear that pretty long brunette hair down and she was going to wear one of her mother's old dresses. Why? Because today her mother's brother, Uncle Kai Haruno, was coming with his family to visit for the midsummer holidays. Tenten couldn't wait for them to come it had been a year since they last visited, which was the longest time the two families had spent apart since Tenten's uncle got married. Normally, they would come every few months, but this past year one of the crop fields was burned by a fire, and for the Haruno farming family, that meant travel was out of the question. It wasn't until just recently that things were beginning to return to order, with thanks to the spring rains. A good farmer would normally stay with his crop until it was back at its best even during holiday; but midsummer, although a time for celebration was also a time for danger, especially to those families who lived near the borders of the realms. It wasn't uncommon for children to be whisked away by faeries, especially pretty children. Sometimes the child was returned in a few days, sometimes in a number of years, but most of the time they are never seen again. And with families who have angered the fey, they are left to raise changelings in place of their children, if they hope to ever get the babe back, but like most of the statistics, once they're taken, they are gone.

Because of this plight, farmers with small children move their families towards cities and towns where there is a high concentration of metal and iron, which can keep the fey at bay. The Harunos, who had already had some bad luck this year, didn't want to take any chances with their daughter, so they left their mending farm and came to their inlaw's home, which was not only located in a small town, but also contain a ton of metal from the weapons in the shop. The area was also known to have no troubles with children getting taken. This was because many strong faerie wards were around due to its close proximity to the gate which led straight into the magic realm. In fact it was a 20 minute walk into the woods from where Tenten lived. In fact, it was at places further away from the gate the more holes for fey folk to slip through. So in other words, * (2)_The closer you are to danger, the further you are from harm._

With him, Kai brought his young and lovely wife Layla, whom he married 12 years before. She acted as a surrogate mother for Tenten during the times she visit and it was because of her Tenten could do anything domestic at all. She was a petite woman with blue eyes and red hair that was so light it was almost. She was small and curvatious, and had a very pretty face, everything a man could want in a woman physically. There wasn't anyone that Tenten knew who was as pretty as her aunt, except that is, for the last Haruno member, Sakura.

Sakura was almost the spitting image of her mother. And when I say almost I mean like her mother but better, more exotic. She was built petite and was beginning to show signs of womanly curves at the tender age of 11, definitely a far cry from her tall, strongly built cousin. Her skin was fair and clear of any blemish, unlike Tenten's tanned, marred skin. She had bright green eyes like her father and Tenten's mother (the trait Tenten envied and wanted the most). And finally, she had naturally pink hair, which was extremely rare. Moreover from her physical appearance, Sakura was also more ladylike with her speech, manners and dress. She was rather meek and soft spoken(although she was so comfortable with her older cousin Tenten found it difficult at times to get a word in edgewise).

Even with all these differences, Tenten loved Sakura more than the world. Sakura was the only female that Tenten ever effectively interacted with. Sakura was so easy to get along with and always paid extremely close attention to whatever Tenten said or did, which not only flattered the older girl, but prompted her to be a better role model by cutting down on the swearing and rough housing. And to Sakura, Tenten was so brave and could stand up to anybody or do anything. The young girl wanted to know everything about her older cousin and would follow her everywhere. Basically, Tenten was the cool older sister that every girl wants, and Sakura was the sweet little sister that every girl wants. Although different, they really did compliment each other.

*(1) I have a scar that long on my right leg…..but not because I fell out of a tree

*(2) Yup I stole it from LOTR….I might do things like that throughout the story

_Well, That's the first chapter. Hope you haven't lost interest, because the next chapter is when the adventure begins. Please don't forget to Review. _


	3. Chapter 3: Spirited Away

_**A/N: Here's the next chapter, and finally there's some action in it. Yay!! I'm happy that I was able to finish this in one night….granted I put off my homework…..but who cares about calculus (well, actually I do, buuuuut not the point). I'm not sure how quickly I'll be able to get out the next chapters in the near future, due to finals, but if this is the last chapter that I'm going to write for a while then I wanted to make sure that it would be interesting.**_

It was the third night since the Haruno family arrived at the Yuu household, and Tenten and Sakura had spent their past three days linked at the hip. They went swimming in the creak, played in the woods and much to Sakura's delight a picnic in a field of wild flowers. For meals, the two girls would help Sakura's mother cook and set the table, making the food taste all the better. Everyday since her relatives arrived had been bliss for Tenten.

However, for some reason tonight was different. Tenten had been feeling a bit anxious and restless since mid-afternoon. She thought that perhaps it was because she hadn't eaten enough that day, so she suspected that she would feel better after dinner. Tonight they were having miso soup and freshly caught fish, so Tenten was looking forward to it. But when she took a sip of her soup she found that it tasted funny, so she tried the fish and it too tasted funny. She looked around to see if anyone else noticed anything, but she saw that everybody was enjoying their meals. Maybe she was coming down with something; she hoped not, because she was going to teach Sakura archery the next day.

"Tenten, honey, are you not feeling well, or is there something wrong with your food?" her aunt Layla asked her brow furrowed with worry. "No I just having been feeling off for a little while," Tenten replied, not sure if it was the food or herself. "Then dear one, maybe you should go to sleep," said her father. "Yes, you'll be good as new tomorrow. You've always had a strong immune system," said her uncle giving her a pat on the back. "Tenten, if your not well it's okay if you don't teach me archery tomorrow, we can stay in and I can tell you stories and take care of you. There is plenty of time to learn before we go home," Sakura said urgently, not wanting the older girl to push herself. "No," Tenten said, "I'll be fine by tomorrow so don't worry. I'll just be going to bed now. I'm sure I'll feel better after some sleep." With that she got up and went to her room, worried gazes followed her.

When Tenten got to her room she made herself lay down and close her eyes. She laid there silently in the dark, eyes closed, but she was still feeling strange. She couldn't understand it, something just didn't seem right. She wasn't sure if it was bad, but she knew something big was going to happen and it was going to happen soon.

_Something was not right. She was in the woods, sprinting as fast as she could, the trees were blurring on either side of her. She came to a clearing and there she saw a familiar well, the one that she had gone to get water from since as long as she could remember. She then came to her front door and it opened for her all by itself._

_Suddenly she found herself running again, back towards the forest, this time with her cousin in her arms. She must have been getting tired, because she could hear her breath become ragged. What was strange was that it didn't sound like her breathing, but more beastlike. She looked down at her cousin again and noticed, to her horror, that here hands weren't hers at all. Each finger must have been several inches long with claw-like nails. She was a monster…._no she wasn't a monster, and this wasn't a dream.

Tenten woke up with a start, and after a moment of confusion she on her feet and sprinting out of her room. She knew that what just had happened wasn't just a dream; her cousin had been abducted and she didn't have any time to waste. She ran passed her relatives, barely registering them asleep at the table.

She ran through the front door, which had been left opened by their uninvited visitor. She ran past the well, past the tree line, and onto the path that led to the gate. As she sprinted down the path she pulled out a kunai that she had tucked away in the sleeve of her shirt. Fortunately that night she hadn't bothered changing out of her day clothes and of course being a weapon's shop girl she always carried a few knives. She noticed that rather hearing the frogs croaking and the bugs buzzing, everything was completely silent. Through her teared-up eyes she could see blue specks floating in front of her, somehow she knew that she had to avoid those specks, so she ran off the trail and traveled parallel to it.

Finally, she made to the clearing where the gate was and there she saw the child thief with her cousin. It was a couple of inches shorter than her. It wore a wide brim hat and she could tell that it had a small frame under its cloak. "Give me back my cousin you FUCKER!!" She screamed. The creature turned around just in time for the kunai that Tenten had thrown to slash its cheek. It then clanged against the gate and fell noiselessly to the ground. The creature let out an agonized screech of pain from where the metal had cut its skin. Tenten could see and smell the flesh burning. It growled at her; it's yellow eyes slit with anger and teeth bared.

" I said GIVE HER BACK!!" Tenten demanded as she pulled a kunai from her other sleeve. She threw it, this time aiming for the skin right between the eyes, but it never made contact. One moment the creature had stood twenty yards from her in front of a closed gate, and the next it stood thirty yards past an open gate.

Tenten took no time in rushing at, but as soon as she reached the gate, that creature extend its hand and blew a pile of blue dust at her. The dusted wind came at her with such a velocity that it not only closed the gate, but knocked her off her feet. She tried to stand. But she felt like she weighed a thousand pounds. It took all of her energy to get to her knees, but she couldn't go any further, nor could she stay up right. And as she fell forward, the last thing she saw was the creature turning its back to her and one of her cousin's legs hanging over his arm.

The next morning Tenten awoke to muttering. She sat up and looked around. There a number of feet behind her was a small, funny little creature. It had the shape of a man, but it was only two feet tall with a tail and fury feet. "Me founds it," he, Tenten assumed, said relieved. "Nasty things humans make," he paused contemplating, "then again nasty things humans be," he finished thoughtfully. "They be so mussy and they be keepin mussy animals," he said brushing his pants off. "Having we Hobgoblins clean up after

them…ack! There be blood on it."

Blood? Tenten thought. It was then she saw that grasped within its paw was the first kunai she threw last night. She figured the kunai must have been blown back by the wind like she had be. And she had a feeling that there had to be something important about that blood or else this creature would not have been looking for it.

Suddenly, sensing that he was being watched, the little creature turned to Tenten and squeaked with fear, his elfish face filled with shock. It quickly scampered to the left heading towards thicker cover. Tenten jumped up ready for action. This time she was not going to let another fey creature get away. She pulled another kunai from the waist band of her pants and threw it at the creature, pinning it by its shirt on a nearby tree. Tenten hurried over towards he as he struggled to get free. As soon as he struggled out of his shirt Tenten had pounced on him producing yet another kunai from her waistband. "Ho no I'm not done with you yet," she said breathlessly holding the kunai to his face, "I want to know what exactly is going on."

"No, no let me go. Me will be in trouble," he whined. "I would be more worried about the trouble you're in right now if I were you," Tenten snapped, "I know plenty of creative ways to gut a rat! You can cut them, stab them, decap…" "Wait," he screeched, "wwwhat me meant was me will answer any one question you be havin if you don't hurt me. Dead Hobgoblin can't give you answers. "Any question?" He nodded his head. There were so many questions wanted, no needed to ask, but which one was the most important. She thought for a long time and couldn't think of the best one. What she needed was for a way for her to trick the creature and to giving her more information than it intended to. She knew that there was certain protocol that faeries had to follow after having to read Sakura a million and ten different fairytales, but what rule would help her the most. She was sure that Sakura would know exactly what to ask. Then again, she supposed, Sakura wouldn't have to resort to any tricks, she could probably just ask and the creature would be stumbling all over himself to help her. Sometimes she wondered what it would be like to be somebody like Sakura….Oh wait a tick, if she were like Sakura, then she would be the one needing saving. Nope, Like her father said, it was best to be who you were made to be, pretending or even thinking to be something you're not will only slow you down from achieving your dreams. It was then Tenten thought of the question she would ask the hobgoblin. It was a gamble, but it was her best hope * "Alright, what's your true name?" Somewhere Tenten read that faeries didn't like to give out their real names and there had to be a reason for it.

He stared at her in astonishment. "Why would you want to know that?" he squeaked. "Why does it matter, it should be an easy question to answer." He shifted his eyes left and right looking for a way to escape. "Me could…." "Answer the question, you know you have to, faeries can't break promises," Tenten interrupted. The creature sighed and replied "Pennywise MgGee." "See now that wasn't so hard, why do faeries care so much about hiding their names, Mr. Pennywise MgGee?"

Pennywise jolted, his face screwing up as if he were struggling with something. After a few minutes of what looked like pure agony. "Because they can be controlled by them!!" he busted out. "Oh, is that so?" Tenten said letting go of him. The hobgoblin didn't even bother getting away at this point. "Why was my cousin taken?" "His m-m-majesty wanted her," Pennywise replied slowly. "But why her!!" Tenten growled, as Pennywise shrunk away. "Me don't know!"

"You don't know. What do you mean you don't know?!"

"W-w-w-what me meants was he probably thinks she's special."

"That's because she is special! But that doesn't mean that she was his to take!" Tenten exclaimed her eyes slightly tearing. Pennywise must have noticed for there was a flash of sympathy in his eyes. "There might be a small chance in retrieving her if you be speaking with the h-h-h-his majesty," he offered.

"If that's so, then you're going to help me," Tenten said.

"No!" he said throwing up his hands, "umm…err…rather I can't go directly against my king the power he has over me is greater than yours."

"Can't you help me a little? You said you couldn't go against him directly, but can you do it indirectly? You know like answering my questions and helping me with things that don't involve faeries?"

"Well….me supposes me could…."

"Good. First, why were you sent to retrieve my kunai" "My type be the one of the few lesser fey that can touch metal."

"Were you sent by the king?" "No"

"The creature?" "Yes, the hunter be sending me."

"Did it send you to get my kunai because its blood is on it?" "Yes."

"What's so great about having its blood?" "You can b-bring it to a witch and she can cast spells to track it, summon it, or c-c-control it."

Tenten paused why was this creature being so cautious of her. "Did it think that I knew that?" Pennywise shifted on his feet. "Well?"

"Me don't know…didn't say much to me….only said not to let you have pointy metal… maybe it think you be special, or maybe because it naturally don't like leaving loose ends….who knows…the only thing me knows about its kind is that it's best to stay away," He said matter-of-factly. "Well I can't stay away I need to catch up to him as quickly as possible, preferably before they get to the faerie kingdom, the gods only know how difficult it would be to get Sakura back once they get there. So, where can I find a witch that can, or even will help me?" Tenten asked. "If it be a witch you're looking for, the best place to search would be past that gate," the hobgoblin said pointing at gate, and for the first time since she met him he had a faerie look, a mischievous look in his eyes.

*****_**Got that from a Holly Black book (Tithe). I'm not sure if she made it up or not, but that's where I found that info.**_

_**Well, there you have it, please review. The more reviews, the more I feel obligated to write.**_


	4. Chapter 4: Beyond the Gate

**A/N: Phew! Sorry this took so long school's been a bitch. I can't promise that updates will come any quicker in the future, because 1) I do have a life and 2) want to do a better job editing, not only grammar, but content as well. To Brittany: The only book that I have read from that collection ( Wicked Lovely, Ink Exchange, and Fragile Eternity) is Wicked Lovely (are the other two any good?), but as I've mentioned in a foot note I've read Holly Black books as well as several other fantasy books. I love darker fantasy with a bit of twisted humor, so there's a really good chance that you will find some similarities in this story and other darker faerie tales :).**

**Disclaimer: Naruto isn't mine**

**Merry Christmas! Here's my virtual present to you.**

Tenten had returned to her home to gather things for her long journey. She had let Pennywise go making him promise not to alert any of the faeries of her quest and to return to her when he could to help her.

When she opened the door to her childhood home, she saw the remaining members if her family still asleep at the table. She passed by them and quickly went to her room. Once there she gathered up all the necessary things for her trip; clothes, kunai ,matches, water skin etc.

She went into her dad's weapon shop and picked up a katana, strapping it to her belt. Although she wasn't quite as handy with sword fighting as she was with knife throwing, she was still competent enough to know how to use one if necessary. She also retrieved her bow and a quiver full of arrows for hunting purposes. Finally, her last stop was the kitchen, where she packed non-perishable food items.

Tenten headed towards the front room. She began to walk towards the front door, but out of the corner of her eye she caught a glimpse of 3 of her most important people. She knew that she shouldn't wake them up because they would never let her leave.

There was also that small voice in the back of Tenten's head that whispered, "Perhaps it's more like, if you woke them up, then maybe it's you who wouldn't want to leave."

That voice she made a point to ignore.

* * *

Tenten couldn't figure out how she got into this situation. She hadn't even walked a hundred yards past the gate and already she was in trouble. She didn't know how it happened, but one minute she was on the ground and the next minute she was floating mid-air in some sort of bubble.

She pulled out a kunai to stab it, but it bounced off the surface like a rubber ball. She then tried to slice at it with her katana. She hurriedly moved the sword's edge back and forth, when she looked down, she saw that there wasn't even a scuff mark. Well shit, she'll just have to burn it. She pulled out a match and held it up to the side of her prison, but as soon as the match touched the wall it went out.

"Damnit! What the hell is up with this bubble!" she said irked yet slightly intrigued. She was sure that whoever made this bubble sure knew a thing or two about creating traps.

The question was who, or what, was her captor. She wasn't left guessing for long, for she was startled by a high pitched cackle. She looked to her right to see a figure skulking slowly towards her. As the figure got closer Tenten was able to begin making out more and more details….and she did not like what she was seeing.

It was hunched over and covered entirely by a cloak. However, Tenten could see long bits of scraggily hair coming out from under the cloak's hood, as well as hands with long knobby fingers.

Judging by these facts, Tenten could assume that it was a female. She also had a bad feeling that this woman was not human.

When the figure had finally came within a foot of the bubble, she stopped, looked up and took off her hood.

For a split second Tenten thought she could see a gnarled old woman with a hideous face covered in leathery skin peppered with warts. This image soon changed into one of a stern woman tall, pale skin, and an intimidating stance with a false look of elegance. The only thing that had not change was her yellow eyes which held much malice. The only creature that Tenten could think this woman to be was a witch.

"Look at what I have found in my trap," The witch said in a deep alto voice. She used her finger to move the bubble down a few feet so that she and Tenten were eyelevel. She smiled wickedly, "A cute little mouse."

Tenten, although very much afraid, managed to look the woman straight in the eye unwavering. The witch chuckled at Tenten's glare. She seemed to see right through Tenten's attempt to be brave, which truly irked the girl.

"You're awfully confident little mouse to look a snake right in the eye," she paused a sniffed, "Especially when you are so very out of your element." The witch paused and looked other at the gate and cackled, "Not more than several steps past the gate and already you have met your fate." The witch turned back to her with a wicked grin, "I suppose you thought you were going to be the hero on some grand adventure like the ones from those books you humans seem to worship. A piece of advice, this isn't like the faerie tales, once on this side it's survival of the fittest, little mouse."

"Perhaps I am out of my element," Tenten said, her voice shaking slightly, "but that won't stop me." The witch cackled with glee, as if she had just been told the best of jests. Although Tenten did realize that what she had said did sound ridiculous (especially in her current predicament, she had no intention of giving up. If nothing else she would put up a fight till the very end.

After the witch had stopped laughing she looked at Tenten thoughtfully. "Such spirit you have, maybe I should let you out and have some fun before I devour you." With that the witch waved her hand and the bubble burst. Tenten hit the ground with a thud, but didn't waste any time in getting up and running away as quickly as possible.

The witch cackled yet again, and said a spell under her breath. Tenten had not gotten more than twenty yards away, when her pack had been pulled from her back. She looked around to see several large vines coming her way.

She quickly dodged left and then right to avoid being caught by the vines. Sometimes though, they were able to rip and tear at her clothes, leaving small gashes on her arms and legs. She was caught off guard when a vine shot out from in front of her and grabbed her by the left leg, swooping her off her feet and into the air. It began to bring her upside down back to the witch.

As Tenten floated towards her the witch said, "Good maneuvering for a human, little mouse, but I'm afraid…" She was caught off in mid-sentence, when she heard a rip and saw Tenten hit the ground running with a katana in hand. The witch hummed, slightly annoyed, before she said the spell again.

This time when the vines came close to her, Tenten not only dodged them, but cut at them too with her katana. "This simply won't do, perhaps it's time to change tactics," the witch muttered. She then took a new stance whispered some words and stomp her foot down twice.

Tenten could feel the ground shake. The vibrations moved from behind her to in front of her and then stopped. She paused for a moment and saw two different fountains of mud spurt out next to each other. Both fountains began to accumulate mud until the piles reached six feet tall at which point they began to take shape. Once done Tenten found herself face to face with two tall humanoids.

She ran from them with haste, but although they weren't fast, they were able to sling large slabs of mud. Tenten dodged the oncoming projectiles skillfully, save one, which landed right on her foot, sticking her to the ground. She frantically pulled at her foot. She managed to dislodge it, but lost her shoe in the process. She was about to run again but then she was hit with enough mud to cover her entire left leg effectively trapping her, and allowing for the mud men to catch up to her.

Not knowing what else to do, she tried to stab at one them. Much to her dismay her effort had been proven to be wasted because her katana went clear through to the other side of the creature. She could hear it being discarded to the other side of the beast when she heard it thud to the ground. "Fantastic," she muttered.

"You will find that your little weapons won't help you against something like mud," the witch said.

Tenten growled in annoyance as she had figured that much out by herself, for now she had her entire right arm trapped inside one of the mud men, the other had grasped onto her left shoulder.

She pulled from her captors desperately in an attempt to get away, but to no avail. Thinking about how easily the katana went through she decided that if she couldn't pull away then maybe she could push through. Using all of her strength Tenten began to run forward. Soon after almost suffocating to death, Tenten toppled over and onto the ground.

She scrambled up and quickly ran towards the tree line. She was yet again stopped when all of the trees moved close together, not allowing her by. She reached into her back pocket and pulled out a match. After swiping it on her remaining shoe she lit the nearest tree on fire. The other enchanted trees moved naturally away from their longstanding nemesis, allowing Tenten to slip through.

Again, much to Tenten's annoyance, she was stopped. This time Tenten was being lifted up into the air by an unknown force. She could see that although the witch was smiling, she was not quite as high and mighty as before, as she huffed and puffed to regain her breath.

"Little mouse," she said slightly cracking from exertion, "You have proven to be a rather worthy opponent, but it is now time for this game to end."

"I couldn't agree more," Tenten said as she pulled a kunai out of her belt and threw it at the witch. The witch stopped it with a simple word. This our young heroine had anticipated, so she had thrown another one immediately after it. The witch stopped this one too, but to do so the force pulling Tenten had to stop as well.

As Tenten had thought, this witch wasn't nearly as powerful as she had thought herself to be and was getting more and more tired with each spell.

Tenten threw another and she was dropped to the ground. She threw yet another and this time it pierced the witch's hand.

Enraged the witch screeched and rushed at Tenten at a speed faster than most humans. She grabbed Tenten by the throat and held her up in the air.

"Perhaps," the witch grounded out, "I was wrong to say that you were a little mouse." Tenten could feel the grip on her neck tightened. "Perhaps you are a young barn cat with nasty little claws!" she growled the last part out like an animal.

Her face also began to sag and loose it's clear white color. She was also not nearly as tall and looked far more frail than before. Tenten couldn't fathom how this woman had so much strength.

"Although I am hungry," the witch continued, "Oh so very hungry. Kittens are not an ideal snack for a snake," she huffed and then smiled, "But they are for the wolves. Perhaps the wolves would like to trade a nice little mouse for a mangy cat!"

The last thing that Tenten saw was those menacing yellow eyes, filled with hate and blood lust. Had Tenten knew how quickly and easily she could be killed on this adventure, she would'vewaited until her father and her other relatives had woken up to give them a proper goodbye instead of a note.

* * *

Dad,

I'm sorry that I didn't wake you up before I left, but I know you

would never let me do what I'm about to do if you if I waited

for you to wake up. I promise I will bring Sakura back no matter what.

Love you always,

Tenten

Ryuuske finished reading the note that his only daughter quickly and messily scrawled for him. He looked over to his in-laws who bawling for the loss of not only their daughter, but their niece as well.

Like any father he was furious at his daughter's rash decision, but more than that, he was worried, no terrified of what may happen to her. A thought that had never once believed had surfaced. Although Ryuuske had never thought one's gender was a deciding factor in most things, he couldn't help but think that if she had been a boy he would not have been quite so afraid.

If she had been a boy then this would be a good chance for him to become a man, but this was his daughter. This was his daughter who was on the verge of womanhood, and no matter how much she acted like a boy, she was still a girl. And there were just some things that women should never have to do, no matter how strong they were.

He got up and walked into shop to see what his daughter had taken. She had taken a lot, at least one of every weapon that could be easily carried. The only thing that he did not have anything left of was his kunaicollection, save one, but that one was to never be used.

It was the first weapon Tenten had ever made. It was almost perfect, with the exception of the weight being slightly off, which would slightly mess with the accuracy of the weapon. He threw the knife at one of the targets he had posted on the wall. The kunai hit an inch to the left of the center. As he had thought his daughter was special. She managed to win a knife throwing contest with this very kunai when she was 11 years old, the same age as Sakura is now. An age that was still young enough to be swiped by faeries and his daughter had the best aim he had ever seen.

His daughter, he realized, was better than any son would have been in this situation. His daughter could out hunt the boys. His daughter could make better tools than any boy. His daughter could take care of herself, better than anyone else her age or even older for that matter.

Tentenwas a rather extraordinary child, with many different talents and was a very fast learner. If anyone could save Sakura, he could trust that his daughter would be the only one to surpass this obstacle.

**A/N: There you have it, please read and review (Twould be a great Christmas gift to give me). Also as a side note, I promise that more Naruto characters will show up in the next couple of chapters, I just like developing the main character a lot :).**


	5. Chapter 5: Into the Darkness

_**A/N: So sorry I have taken so long to write this. I've been really, really busy with homework and college stuff. I can't promise when I'll be able to update next, but hopefully sooner than this time. I can't lie, I was also having trouble trying to figure out where exactly I wanted the plot to go next. But fear not for I do believe I have figured it out. Special Thanks to Lunar Rayvenn for getting me to start thinking about updating.**_

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Once again Tenten found herself in that oh so annoying bubble floating up in the air. She had just managed to wake up in time to see the witch shuffling, with difficulty, away. She seemed very worn out. Well it served her right Tenten thought. She shouldn't have over estimated her abilities. Tenten could bet that she only had just enough magic left to put Tenten in this trap. Hmmm maybe the bubble wouldn't be that strong then, Tenten hoped.

She reached into a holster that was trapped to her leg and found that her kunai had been removed. That wasn't good, she could have sworn that she hadn't used that one yet. She checked another place and then another. "No…No…..dammit! That miserable…she took everything!" Apparently, the witch wasn't quite as dumb as Tenten had hoped.

Tenten had been left with no weapons and no supplies. She only had the clothes on her back. Now what was she suppose to do?

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_**She was moving quickly, or rather she was being taken somewhere at top speed. She could hear flutes playing. They were telling her many things, in words that she didn't recognize, but could understand. There was laughing that sounded like ringing bells. She couldn't ascertain where it was coming from though. Although she couldn't see anything, the noise, no the music around her could more than fill her mind. It was peaceful really.**_

_**Suddenly, she was stopped. Numbly, she opened her eyes, that is, if they were her own eyes. It felt like she wasn't even in her own body at this point. She couldn't see much , only beautiful, bright blurs. From these bright blurs came voices, muffled voices, but she could tell that they were beautiful. Then she was hit by a sweet smell, so wonderful and tantalizing. It made you feel like you were with your loved ones on a warm and sunny day, the kind of day that lasts forever in your memories. **_

_**The smell came closer and closer until she felt something being put into her hand. She raised the object to find that it was the source of the smell. It was then it occurred to her that she was hungry, ravenously so. Her stomach was clawing at her to eat, relentlessly pestering her. She knew that everything would be better if she ate the object in her hand. She knew she was among friends…**_hold on._** She brought the object to her mouth and…**_no, wait, something is wrong**…_She parted her lips…._stop it right now! _She bit down it was deliriously sweet…._**too sweet**…_it made her unbelievably happy…_**don't trust it!_**She was home.** _NO!!

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"_NOOO!!!" _Tenten screamed as she jolted up right. From experience, Tenten knew that wasn't just any dream. Sakura was once again in trouble, more trouble than ever before. If it was going to be difficult for her to retrieve Sakura before, it was going to be even worse now. Eating faerie food is a no no. Everyone, knows that even those who don't know anything about faeries knows that you never accept food or drink from them. I mean, where did ya think the whole don't take food from strangers idea came from. If you take food from a faerie, then your one of them. If your one of them, you have to follow their rules. And Tenten had a feeling there was some rule about not going back to the human world to live.

"Kami, how could this get any worse?" Tenten groaned. Then she felt a sharp stab in her stomach as it emitted a growl. "Fan-fucking-tastic."

* * *

She had been in the damnable bubble for 3 days without food or water. Her throat was dry; it felt like sandpaper. Even worse, it felt like her stomach had hijacked one of her kunai and went to town impaling itself. It had rained, not that she could feel or drink it, but she could feel the cold that came with it. She was feverish and delirious. She kept thinking she could see things moving. At night she thought she could see the witch's eyes staring out at her waiting for her to die so that she could eat her, like a coward.

To pass the time she counted the small birds and animals that passed by. There five birds, three of which were crows that made incessant cawing noises. The bastards had yet to leave…they were making fun of her. She hated crows if she had had her kunai she would have launched them at the miserable little creatures. There had been two squirrels chattering at each other over a nut. Her bets had been on the one who had started out on the right, but she never found out the outcome because they ran away up a tree. And then there was one bunny, no wait, there went another one, two bunnies that she saw…actually at this point she wasn't entirely sure what she actually saw. Starvation plus boredom equals crazy.

She looked over to the gate and wondered how her family was fairing. She wondered if her father was gazing into the woods, missing her…or maybe he was pointedly looking away in anger. Most likely he dove into to work to try and not think about it. She knew that he trusted her. _**Maybe it would have been better if he hadn't trusted you. He would have gone through the gate and seen you floating in the bubble and maybe could have helped you.** _her mind told her. No, with her luck he would have come at the same time as the witch and that wouldn't have been pretty, she told herself.

She was brought out of her musings when she heard voices coming from the forest. At first she ignored the noise, for it wouldn't be the first time in the last 24 hours that she had heard things. However, this time rather than disappearing they only got louder. She turned and saw figures moving towards her. She saw a hunched over figure, which she knew to be the witch. The two other figures were large, probably about 6 or 7 feet in height.

Tenten had a feeling that this wasn't going to be good.

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As Tenten started coming back into consciousness, she felt pain shoot through her body. Her entire body was cold and her head felt like somebody smashed it with a rock….actually, thinking back on it something akin to that probably happened.

_S_he remembered the bubble dropping her to the ground. She also remember looking up and seeing the haggard faces. They had gray skin, a protruding brow and a large lower jaws harboring 4 inch tusk. So this was what a goblin looks like. She wasn't a fan. She remembered looking away from them. She didn't even bother to care about the witch as she slowly crawled towards the tree line….and it was probably about then when they knocked her out.

She opened her eyes and could see nothing. At first, she almost flipped because she thought the blow to her head might have done something to her sight, but then she realized that there was a dank, drafty smell of a cave surrounding her. This relieved her for a moment, but then she remembered that she was in goblin territory. She decided to just appreciate still having her sight and focus on trying to get out.

Not wanting to waste anymore time in this dangerous place, Tenten shakily stood up and began to walk. Well, that is until she felt her leg being pulled on. She looked down to see that she was shackled to a really heavy ball. Well this development was certainly going to prove to be a challenge.

She sighed and went over to the iron ball and hefted it up. It was really heavy, especially since she was so weak. She could only walk a few steps before having to put it down. This was hell.

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She had found water from what felt like miles away from her starting point. Most likely it was only several yards, but it might as well been days away. She knew it was probably really gross, but she wasn't going to complain. She hadn't had anything to drink in days. *She was surprised that she was actually able to survive this long, let alone move her condition.

She dropped to the ground and bent over next to what she assumed was an underground lake. She lowered her lips to the surface and began to suck up as much as she could. It tasted much like you would expect lake water to taste like; mucky and dank. But she couldn't complain, it made her feel a ton better.

"Who is that?" came a voice.

"Is it a goblin?" came another.

"I don't think so." came the first.

"Guys I'm scared." said a new voice.

"You're always afraid Udon," the second voice stated wryly.

"Who are you?" Tenten asked. The voices sounded young and she hoped that they were friendly.

"Please, don't be afraid. I won't hurt you," she called out.

"Who would be afraid of a girl? If I was, then I would have no right to be the next Hokage…after Naruto sempai," the first voice said haughtily.

"What's your name?" Tenten asked. **'_And what the hell does he mean Hokage?'_** She kept the last part to herself, not wanting to offend a potential ally.

"The name is Saratobi Konohamaru," said the first voice, "and you better not be working for the goblins or else."

"No, trust me, I'm not really a fan of them," Tenten said shaking the chain attached to her leg for effect.

"Well good," Konohamaru replied, "Anyone who doesn't like goblins is a friend of mine."

"That's great," Tenten said truly relieved. Since she had had any connection to this world, she has had nothing but enemies. It was nice to have friends, although she would be cautious until she knew how much she could trust them.

"I'm Moegi," the second voice offered. "I'm glad that I'm not the only girl anymore."

Tenten chuckled inwardly at the comment.

"I-I'm U-Udon," said the last voice shyly. "Nice to meet you."

"Yeah, well it would be really nice to have met her if we make it out of here so that we can live through this and be _good _friends," Konohamaru said snidely.

"Well then we shouldn't waste anytime and try to escape," Tenten said.

"Can't," Moegi said.

"We've been trying for a while now," Konohamaru added. "The only way we'll get out of these caverns is when they bring us up to the top cave for their colony to cook and feast upon us."

"Well that sounds pleasant," Tenten remarked.

"Well goblins are just pleasant creatures," the boy said.

"So what then do you propose we do?" Tenten asked

"Build up strength with the food they give us and then put up a fight when they bring us to the higher levels. Naruto sempai will then have enough time to save us." Konohamaru said.

Tenten's stomach growled at the mention of food. She could hear a snicker and then felt something land next to her. She picked the object up and took a bite. It was a fruit, although one that she had never tasted before, not that she cared.

As she munched, she asked, "So, what happens if this Naruto doesn't come?"

"Oh he'll come, in fact he's probably staking out the cave as we speak…..and most likely being held by his teammates from jumping right in," Konohamaru replied.

"Do you really think they will be able to take on a whole colony of goblins?" Tenten asked.

There was a pause and then the boy replied, "Of course they can. They're ninja. They live for this stuff." Tenten suspected based on the way Konahamaru had said this he was probably giving her an are-you-stupid look.

"Well, then why don't you throw me another one of those fruits," Tenten said throwing her finished core behind her. She didn't know what the boy meant by ninja. And she didn't know if she could trust that they would be able to help her and her fellow prisoners. But she suspected that the best way to get out of here was to have to wait to be taken to the top cave.

She knew that she had to be good and ready to put up a fight.

_***Yes it's farfetched, I realize that people can only live about 3 days without dying but :)**__**.**_

_**Well there you have it. Please, Please review. The more reviews, the more responsibility I feel to update sooner. Also, you will get to see the long awaited Naruto characters :).**_


	6. Chapter 6: Long Awaited Help

_**AN: Yeah so….really long time since I've updated. In my defense I did start writing this after I put up my other chapter, but then things got really hectic for a long time. Although I should admit that I've had ample time to write these past two weeks and have just not felt like writing, sorry about that. And since it's taken me so much time to finish this chapie I'm not going to spend quite as much time editing it (cause I kinda did that along the way) so sorry for mistakes.**_

_**Disclaimer: Characters aren't mine. Sorry I forget to say this a lot.**_

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Tenten couldn't tell how much time had passed since she had come to her current prison. It had probably been no more than a couple of days or so, but she felt like she had been there for months.

At least she had some comrades to share her troubles. After all, misery loves company. They talked about pretty much anything and everything to give them something to do. After a while, Tenten felt like she knew almost as much about them as she did any of her friends growing up.

She found out that the kids were only 8 years old and that they had just recently started going to this "ninja" school. Everyone in their village was supposed to at least have training at the elementary school level, even if they were destined to end up as nothing more than civilians. Tenten had a hard tome wrapping her mind around the idea that an entire village was expected to know something about fighting.

The children told her that was because all of the major villages in the realm were like this. It occurred to Tenten that she really was in over her head when she passed through the gates. To think that even children as young as 8 were being trained to killed really showed how far out of her element she really was.

"So," Tenten said, "if your village is so well equipped and militarily savvy that even kids your age know how to fight, how come you ended up in this mess?"

"Well there were so many of them, like 50 or something, so we couldn't take them all on," Konohamaru huffed.

"Well actually it was more like 4," Moegi piped in. Tenten could tell that even in the dark Konohamaru was glaring at the girl.

"And we were kinda on the advanced training grounds we weren't supposed to be andItoldKonhamaruthatwecouldn'tgothereand…" Udon added before he got elbowed by his leader.

This of course didn't surprise Tenten, after all, when you go somewhere you weren't supposed to go bad things tend to happen. From what Tenten gathered Konahamaru that Naruto guy came up with some sort of mischievous plan and the other two more or less reluctantly followed behind.

Tenten told them about her home and some of her past mischief making as well as her run in with the witch. It was great to be able to reminisce with someone, even thought they weren't there for any of them. However, what ruined it was when Konohamaru asked why she had been captured in the first place.

She was unsure of what to say. She knew that she could trust the children, but where she came from people stayed away from those who have had encounters with the fey. After all nobody wants to have the immortals' attention.

"Well are you going to tell us?" Konahamaru prodded. Tenten sighed still debating about what to say, but was relieved of said pressure when they heard voices coming towards them.

"Goblins," Moegi said in a hushed voice. Although she had said this quietly, Tenten was somewhat surprised that the little girl didn't sound more afraid. Udon on the other hand let out a slight shudder. "Don't worry guys, these goons are just our escorts home," Konohamaru stated confidently.

As the goblins got closer, Tenten could see the big hulking beasts vaguely under a dim light radiating from the lanterns they carried. They were big and as ugly as ever. They spoke to each other in a series of grunts and growls and began to open up the hand cuffs on the long chain they brought with them.

Once they reached the humans, the goblins none too gently put the cuffs on each of their wrists.

When one got to Konahamaru, it put the first handcuff on without a problem. However, when it tried to reach for the other one the ninja boy didn't miss the opportunity to throw his elbow back and knock the creature in the face.

By the smacking noise it made, Tenten could guess that the boy was a lot stronger than a normal eight year old boy. In fact, he might even be stronger than some boys her age.

In response, the goblin grabbed the boy's wrist tightly and wrenched his arm back roughly. Konaharmaru made a slight grunt, but that was all, and Tenten mentally commended him for it.

Another goblin then jerked on the chain, Tenten apparently was the first in line because she flew forward stumbling. The goblin growled and yanked again pulling her to her feet. Great, she was going to be the first one to go.

Moegi was next and Udon came trembling after her.

Finally, Konahamaru was at the beack of the line. He was special because he got two goblins to guard him.

The walk through the tunnels had been mostly silent except for the occasional clanging of the chains.

In the beginning, Konahamaru continued to do little annoying things like lag behind or walk too fast so the rhythm of the company would be thrown off.

However, after a couple times of this, one of the goblins had had enough and picked the boy up and threw him over its shoulder, giving the remaining mobile chained humans even less slack than before.

Normally Tenten would be acting similarly, but she was sure that whatever she did would be no good. Without her weapons, there really wasn't anything special about her. Sure she was pretty strong and fast for a girl, but that didn't mean anything here in this new world.

The only thing special about her was her aim, and without some sort of projectile, she was left vulnerable. But instead of being frightened, she was angry, no furious with herself for being so reliant on a few pieces of metal. She promised herself that if she made it through this ordeal, she would work hard to improve on her faults.

She was brought out of her musings when she slipped going up a steep incline. She landed on her hands and knees skinning them. The goblin leading her growled something akin to "Move it wench"….or was it "lunch" and yanked the chain, pulling the girl awkwardly to her feet yet again.

Tenten could hear the beasts at the back snickering at her misfortune and sighed. Moegi who had been silent at this point leaned up towards Tenten's ear and whispered, "Don't worry, we'll be getting out of here soon.

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_Oh yes, Naruto will be here to save us. Well where the hell is the dolt? I kinda would liked to be saved now. _Tenten couldn't help but think to herself. She was currently, once again, suspended in the air.

Except this time she was upside down….over a boiling pot of water. _How original_ was the first thing Tenten thought when she was first shown her fate. Her hands had been bound behind her back, and her legs were bound together at the ankles by the chain which very, very slowly lowered her into the bubbling cauldron. _Great, now I am going to die slowly and painfully._

She was also surrounded by an audience of about 500 plus goblins all mouths watering and eager to watch her demise. She could see them a lot better in the dim lighting, not that she exactly wanted to see their vulgar features. But what was worse than that was the deafening noise which came from the chanting and jeering for her demise. The noise was so loud it almost made her nauseous.

As she neared the bubbling liquid, her nostrils were invaded by the most horrendous smell she had ever experienced. There was something putrid that she was going to be dunked in. Truly, if she had felt sick before then she was now about to upchuck any bit of sustenance in her body. The worst part is it would probably be to their liking. _Talk about adding insult to injury._ No she would definitely not grant them that amusement.

Closer, and closer she got and as the smell increased, the worse the rest of her senses became. Her vision blurred and the sounds around her became numb. She hadn't realized she almost passed out until she felt a great push, moving her far away to the side.

With the loss of the smell Tenten immediately snapped to attention. Everything once again became clear. In front of her stood a tall blonde haired boy. He wore a bright orange and black jump suit that sort of hurt Tenten's eyes to look at. And the only thing she could see on his face in the dim lighting was a pair of bright blue eyes, which sparkled with energy.

"That was a close one," The boy said as he flashed her a smile. But before Tenten could reply a battle ax came out of no where and hit the boy in the back of the head. But unlike a normal person who would have, at this point, been bleeding profusely from the head, went up in a cloud of smoke.

It took a view seconds for Tenten to finally process the information that onslaught her mind to finally come to the realization that that boy was an illusion. She looked around to find that there were in fact multiples of the boy fighting against the goblins.

She was so engrossed in watching him, she failed to notice that one of the goblins had taken notice of her and was coming right for her. She was barely able to scramble to her feet and dive away from the blade of the oncoming ax the creature wielded.

"Boss Tenten is in trouble!" She heard Konohamaru screamed. A few of the many cloned boys looked over to her and muttered 'shit' in unison, trying their best to make it over to the apparently defenseless girl.

"Don't worry, we're coming!" the clones shouted.

As much as she wanted to 'not worry', Tenten was struggling to simply stay out of the radius of the goblin's ax. The beast was not only had a long arm span, but was surprisingly quick. If it weren't for the fact that it obviously sucked at wielding a weapon Tenten would have been screwed the first time she was attacked.

Suddenly out of nowhere a tall silhouette stood between her and her attacker. The person in question had extremely long hair, reaching down to his waist, tied into a loose ponytail. If it weren't for the build, Tenten would have mistaken him for a girl.

"Don't worry Naruto, I got her," came a poised masculine voice.

"Kay Neji, I'm counting on you to get her out of here. Shikamaru has Moegi and Udon and I got Konohamaru," said the blonde haired boy. He and a few of his clones, flashed his teammate a grin and continued their fight against a respective goblin.

Tenten returned her gaze to the boy known as Neji and watched as he got down into a fighting stance. The goblin came at him, ax raised. As he brought the weapon down Neji made a quick lunge and jabbed the beast's arm with his finger tips.

The beast immediately dropped the ax and howled in pain. This was so strange to Tenten. She couldn't figured out how the boy did it. Either he was unnaturally strong (which honestly at this point wouldn't surprise her) or he knew some major pressure points, either way she was impressed. The boy then continued to shift his weight forward and used his other hand to jab his opponent in the jaw, effectively knocking the goblin out.

Once he was done he quickly walked over to her. "Can you walk?" Not trusting her voice Tenten nodded. "Good, then hurry up this is not exactly a place I wish to stay in longer than need be," he said curtly, grabbing her arm and not exactly gently yanking her up. '_Not a exactly a gentleman now is he?' _Tenten thought to herself, but then again she could deal with a guy with a brusk personality if it meant finally being out of danger.

Still gripping Tenten's arm Neji began to drag Tenten along the wall of the cavern, occasionally dodging a flying weapon or severed goblin limb. Tenten was fascinated and slightly disturbed by the carnage that went on around her. However she was brought out of her musings when Neji abruptly stopped.

"Great," the boy huffed

_**So that's it, hopefully I can get in another chapter before I leave for a month…might not happen considering I want to try to add to my other fic and I'm extremely tempted to start this oooother fic (but I vill resist). Anywho I might be more prompted to update with some reviews (but no promises) Kayloveyouthanks ;) **_


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